Plus-Size Poster Girl Robyn Lawley Bares It All in a New Gallery Exhibit

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New York-based, Danish photographer Kenneth Willardt has been doing mostly advertorial stuff for the past few years—you just might have seen his work for L'Oréal, Dior, Victoria's Secret, and a ton of other powerhouse brands. But all it took a one-off shoot with the plus-size model Robyn Lawley—who, over the past year, has become a sort of poster girl for the body-acceptance movement—to cajole him into putting together his first-ever non-commercial show. Lawley was brought in to Willardt's studio by casting agent Preston Chaunsumlit, who recommended her for a billboard featuring baby bunnies. From there, Size Does Matter—an exhibition of supersized photos of Lawley posing nude with an owl, a litter of kittens, a pile of tarantulas, and other animals—was born. "I think we're missing a lot of good things in life," Willardt said of the fashion industry's ongoing tendency to use "cookie cutter" models. "I love women in all shapes—it's more interesting."

As for Lawley? "It was nice to do something that was arty and editorial," she noted. "My favorite shot is with the owl, but I thought the tarantulas were really cool, too. Everyone else was nervous about them, so I didn't have to be!"

While Lawley seems thrilled to be a part of something so "cool," she's also fully aware that everything she does these days is a statement of some sort. Just last week, the model was in the news yet again for speaking out against the "thigh-gap" trend, where "thin-spiration" boards "inspire" young girls to starve for more space between their thighs. "I think I'm so outspoken because if I had someone to look up to at that age, I would have been able to handle it better," she offered. "People are so used to seeing certain body types in the media. I like that we're showing something different. And the shots look amazing."

Size Does Matter can be viewed by appointment only from November 8 through December 8 at the 558 Gallery in Manhattan.